What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[Fading Fast]

Last night my wife and I watched Carol for Another Christmas, a 1964 TV movie that aired once in 1964 and wasn't seen again until TCM aired it in 2012. Written by Rod Serling, it's an updated (circa 1964) version of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" starring Sterling Hayden as Daniel Grudge whose miserly ways are not motivated by money or goods, but by the loss of his son Marley who was killed in action on Christmas Eve in 1944. Co-starring Eva Marie Saint, Ben Gazzara, and Steve Lawrence, Pat Hingle, and Robert Shaw as the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future (respectively), it's an interesting take on Dickens' story featuring solid performances. I'd recommend seeing it at least once if you have the opportunity.

We watched it as well - it's probably the second time we've seen it (which is one too many). It has good parts - and an interesting premise - but, IMO, fails overall as it felt disjointed and too blatantly advocated for its political opinion. It was fun, though, to see several Serling "Twilight Zone" touches applied to Dickens' story. And for fans of Ivy-style dress, Ben Gazarra's outfits are Ivy-era perfect.

 

[Edward]

Well I asked fer it... so's I gets it! Hokay... thanks for the head's up. I've never seen "Holiday Inn" as I can remember... now I'm glad I didn't. Hrrrm.

Worf

It's mostly now screened without that scene. It's been in the news over here this last week as a senior politicisn ( who has likely never even seen tge film in any form) claimed it to be their 'favourite Christmas film', cue mild press controversy. Some backroom advisor likely copped hell for that.

I watched both the Home Alone I & II films as they were on over the Christmas period, just out of nostalgia. The plot lines are a tad dumb but the slapstick comedy still holds up. I still wince every time Daniel Stern gets an iron dropped on his face, or several bricks from the third floor! And Tim Curry is pretty good in Home Alone II.

Parents took us to see the first one in the cinema. Hated it. I've always hated that sort of '''Hollywood cutesy kid" fare. Not even Tim Curry has ever made me want to see the sequel. (Much like Sound of Music, the only thing that would entice me would be an extra reel where little Kevin gets gunned down by some competent crooks (much like the urban legend of the version where the Nazis catch up with the von trapps).

The last three days, Auntie Beeb has been showing the Indy films. Always loved Raiders and Crusade, but Temple still somehow always seems better than I remember it being.

A Muppet Christmas Carol. Jim Henson's now infamous puppets, with the added benefit of Michael Caine as Scrooge. Childhood nostalgia at its best.

Best thing about it was that Caine played it totally straight. A lotvof actors would have had sn ego too big to be the straight man in a film like that.

 

[Fading Fast]

I'm beginning to believe there are still good movies being made as we recently saw The Catcher Was a Spy (my comments here: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/thr...ovie-you-watched.20830/page-1319#post-2499674) and now we just saw The Man Who Knew Infinity.

TMWKI is an outstanding bio-pic based (loosely, I'm sure) on the life of the Indian mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan who, through dint of brilliance and willpower, forced his way from abject poverty on the streets of Madras, India to Cambridge University in the early 1900s where he overcame honest concerns about his atypical approach (he didn't proof his work) and blatant prejudice to advance theoretical mathematics, become a fellow and, posthumously (he died young from TB), take his place amongst the greatest mathematicians of all time.

Moving along at a good pace, the movie does the work to connect you to Ramanujan - you feel his despair in India, his passion for mathematical theory, his commitment to his wife and mother, who he has to leave behind at first, and his surprise at both the prejudice his presence at Cambridge evokes and the honest criticism his unique style of work encounters.

With the can-do-no-wrong-in-my-book Jeromy Irons playing Cambridge fellow G. H. Hardy - Ramanujan's sponsor and, ultimately, partner - the university and England, just before and, then, during WWI is beautifully limned to the point that you can feel both its proud pursuit of knowledge and its narrow-and-viscous politics that, unfortunately, are part of all powerful institutions.

Will Ramanujan succeed as a mathematician, take his proper place at Cambridge and be able to bring his wife and mother to England (family conflict pulls hard at and deceives Ramanujan while he tries to navigate all the forces aligning against him at Cambridge) while suffering from TB provides all the drama a picture needs. Beautifully filmed (the architecture of India and Cambridge are gorgeously presented) with wonderful Fedora Lounge time-travel throughout, it is the exact film I complain is almost never made anymore, but after seeing this and The Catcher Was a Spy, I might, happily, have to amend that view.

 

[Julian Shellhammer]

In our annual effort to keep Christmas going for just a while longer, last night it was Christmas in Connecticut (1945) with Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sidney Greenstreet, S.Z. Sakall, and more. One of the not-a-movie-about-Chrismas but rather a movie-set-at-Christmas movies, it's a light piece of fluff of romance with flawless performances by every actor. Silly, but we laughed a lot at the shifting relationships and sudden plot twists.

 

[Fading Fast]

I don't know how I had missed it, but I had never seen the 1952 British Christmas movie The Holly and the Ivy until yesterday (DVR'd from TCM a few days prior). I love British films from this era as their limited budgets forced a concentration on "small" stories, restricted the special effects, drew from a pool of incredibly talented actors not in Hollywood and were filmed in gorgeous B&W (crisp, clear, deep, rich).

All of these features are present in this story of a aging rector's family - adult children, aunts and uncles - reuniting at Christmas and bringing plenty of family-and-personal baggage and disfunction that had been hidden beneath the surface to keep the appearance of a "happy" family alive. This is no Hallmark-cheery Christmas story as alcoholism, out-of-wedlock-children (when that was a big deal), buried family angers and thwarted love lives are all exposed and fought over.

To that point, the snow, the carolers, the train rides, the gift giving, the family gathering - amidst all the tension - reflect a more realistic - if melodramatic - view of Christmas. And that last trait is also the movie's one weakness - it's too melodramatic as everyone's "big" issue is surfaced and resolved too quickly with anger almost immediately giving way to understanding and forgiveness.

Despite its weakness, it's still enjoyable to see an, overall, realistic view of a family at Christmas - and a time capsule of post-War Britain. Not every year, but definitely one I'll add into our regular rotation of Christmas movies.

 

[bluesmandan]

The man who invented Christmas... and Incredibles 2. Both pretty good movies, though I dislike the title of the first... Dickens certainly did not invent Christmas, nor is that title even a good fit for the movie, which is about how the people in his life and the personality/character deficiencies he battled both served as inspiration for A Christmas Carol. Bad title, good movie.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Worf]

I don't know how I had missed it, but I had never seen the 1952 British Christmas movie The Holly and the Ivy until yesterday (DVR'd from TCM a few days prior). I love British films from this era as their limited budgets forced a concentration on "small" stories, restricted the special effects, drew from a pool of incredibly talented actors not in Hollywood and were filmed in gorgeous B&W (crisp, clear, deep, rich).

All of these features are present in this story of a aging rector's family - adult children, aunts and uncles - reuniting at Christmas and bringing plenty of family-and-personal baggage and disfunction that had been hidden beneath the surface to keep the appearance of a "happy" family alive. This is no Hallmark-cheery Christmas story as alcoholism, out-of-wedlock-children (when that was a big deal), buried family angers and thwarted love lives are all exposed and fought over.

To that point, the snow, the carolers, the train rides, the gift giving, the family gathering - amidst all the tension - reflect a more realistic - if melodramatic - view of Christmas. And that last trait is also the movie's one weakness - it's too melodramatic as everyone's "big" issue is surfaced and resolved too quickly with anger almost immediately giving way to understanding and forgiveness.

Despite its weakness, it's still enjoyable to see an, overall, realistic view of a family at Christmas - and a time capsule of post-War Britain. Not every year, but definitely one I'll add into our regular rotation of Christmas movies.

Recorded it, haven't watched it yet... Will definitely do it now.

Worf

 

[Worf]

"Bird Box" - After much cajoling I put this Netflix original on last night. A good flic that smacks of "A Quiet Place" but takes the opposite tack. You can speak but you can't LOOK! Lot's of tension, almost unbearable at times and you watch the small band of survivors dwindle away one by one till only a woman and 2 kids are left standing and they're on the run! Better than I expected it to be and worth a watch but be prepared for rough ride.

Worf

 

[3fingers]

No God, No Master. Decent story regarding Sacco and Vanzetti and the Palmer raids, but William Flynn probably would not have survived to lead the Bureau of Investigation sermonizing to his superiors as shown in this movie.
Too much was crammed into a relatively short run time. Should have picked what was important to the main story and jettisoned the rest. Sweeping views of historical events are great, but the arc of the broom should have been smaller here. The scenery and clothes are Fedora Lounge material.
Keep your expectations reasonable and it's an OK way to burn 90 minutes.

 

[Bushman]

Bohemian Rhapsody. Holy smokes, that was a lot of fun. I regret not seeing it earlier. A lot of people must love it because the auditorium was packed.

 

[Harp]

I'm beginning to believe there are still good movies being made as we recently saw The Catcher Was a Spy (my comments here: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/thr...ovie-you-watched.20830/page-1319#post-2499674) and now we just saw The Man Who Knew Infinity.

TMWKI is an outstanding bio-pic based (loosely, I'm sure) on the life of the Indian mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan who, through dint of brilliance and willpower, forced his way from abject poverty on the streets of Madras, India to Cambridge University in the early 1900s where he overcame honest concerns about his atypical approach (he didn't proof his work) and blatant prejudice to advance theoretical mathematics, become a fellow and, posthumously (he died young from TB), take his place amongst the greatest mathematicians of all time.

On my must see list but forgot-all-about-it-for-too damn busy-and-forgetful. Another New Year's resolution.

 

[MissMittens]

Mary Poppins Returns. Surprisingly, watching it didn't ruin my childhood, and it had more of a darker edge (more in line with the actual books) than the previous outing featuring Julie Andrews. Thankfully, most of the animated sequences were hand-drawn or painted, and it was not a CGI-fest. In fact, many Disney animators from pre-Toy Story era came out of retirement to work on the flick, and it showed in a really positive way.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's cockney accent was pathetic, in keeping with tradition, but not as overdone as Dick Van Doyke, G'uvner. Emily Blunt did a wonderful job, particularly during the song and dance numbers. Had no idea that she possessed such a voice.

Overall, Mary Poppins Returns feels much more like a natural sequel than a reboot

 

[Harp]

Mary Poppins Returns. Surprisingly, watching it didn't ruin my childhood, and it had more of a darker edge (more in line with the actual books) than the previous outing featuring Julie Andrews. ...Overall, Mary Poppins Returns feels much more like a natural sequel than a reboot

I need to see this. Long ago and far away a mail chopper dropped off the detachment's canvas post bag
and inside was a film box containing Mary Poppins, a surprising selection for thirty guys, but I decided to
run with it anyway, and since I was one of only two of us who could work the projector and properly wind/unwind
film, I retained possession of the box. And I told the tale of a red hot gal(s) R rated flick for nudity, title to be kept
secret. The steaming Quonset hut theatre/bar was subsequently packed. As the numbers scrolled down
I realized I was about to get my ass kicked. A howl was heard and I collapsed laughing under the punishment.

 

[MissMittens]

I need to see this. Long ago and far away a mail chopper dropped off the detachment's canvas post bag
and inside was a film box containing Mary Poppins, a surprising selection for thirty guys, but I decided to
run with it anyway, and since I was one of only two of us who could work the projector and properly wind/unwind
film, I retained possession of the box. And I told the tale of a red hot gal(s) R rated flick for nudity, title to be kept
secret. The steaming Quonset hut theatre/bar was subsequently packed. As the numbers scrolled down
I realized I was about to get my ass kicked. A howl was heard and I collapsed laughing under the punishment.

That's one way to drum up some guys for an audience I guess, lol!!!!

 

[Zombie_61]

I finally caught up with the third theatrical movie from the rebooted Star Trek franchise, Star Trek Beyond (2016). It's more of the same from this version of the franchise, i.e. sci-fi action with bits and pieces stolen from the previous movies, but Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, et al, seem to have finally settled comfortably into their roles as Captain James T. Kirk, Commander Spock, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, and so on. Nothing new here, but I can think of worse ways to spend two hours.

Also, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017). It has been reviewed here before, but it's essentially the story of Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand), a grieving middle-aged mother who buys space on three little-used billboards on the outskirts of the fictional town of Ebbing to question why the local police have been unable to solve the rape and murder of her daughter after seven months. Co-starring Woody Harrelson as Chief-of-Police Willoughby and Sam Rockwell as Officer Jason Dixon, my wife and I didn't see much comedy (dark or otherwise) but I consider it to be a "character study" movie--you're simply dropped into the characters' lives for a short period of time to watch how they react to the circumstances. It's worth seeing at least once because the performances are so good, but it's definitely not a "feel good" movie.

 

[MissMittens]

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017). It has been reviewed here before, but it's essentially the story of Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand), a grieving middle-aged mother who buys space on three little-used billboards on the outskirts of the fictional town of Ebbing to question why the local police have been unable to solve the rape and murder of her daughter after seven months. Co-starring Woody Harrelson as Chief-of-Police Willoughby and Sam Rockwell as Officer Jason Dixon, my wife and I didn't see much comedy (dark or otherwise) but I consider it to be a "character study" movie--you're simply dropped into the characters' lives for a short period of time to watch how they react to the circumstances. It's worth seeing at least once because the performances are so good, but it's definitely not a "feel good" movie.

The performances were gritty, but the whole redemption arc was thoroughly unbelievable to me. It seemed that there was no price to pay for the cop's actions, he just went vigilante at the end.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Re Three Billboards, I'll say this for it: Out of nearly all the intensely hyped/praised films of the last few years, this is the only one that I didn't find hugely disappointing when I watched it. Great performances, unusual and not immediately predictable story. Yes, it's an ugly story of an amoral world: there's no redemption for Rockwell... or anybody. But it's one of the strongest written/performed dramas I've seen in a while, and I think it actually deserved its accolades.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I just learned something new. I thought that Bogarts image was from the scene where he took Elijah Cook Jr.’s guns in the hallway with the ole “pull the overcoat down over the henchmen’s arms trick”.

Steven

That's similar, but Bogart's Sam Spade wears his hat at that point, I think. And Spade did not have the sides of his hair so closely cropped, let alone graying.

 

[Benzadmiral]

The recent film Tully, written by Diablo (Juno) Cody and starring Charlize Theron. I'm not sure if I liked the film overall. There are flashes of Cody's trademark funny dialogue here and there, but the first half of the film is depressing -- you wouldn't call this a comedy by any means, though it's not a tragedy.

Oh, and on the Christmas front, I still have not watched The Bishop's Wife all the way through. It's such a leisurely movie, and the conflicts -- at least in the first half -- are pretty subtle. I guess the charm of it in 1947 was in watching the stars, Cary Grant, David Niven, and Loretta Young, with Monty Woolley and Elsa Lanchester helping out.

 

[Fading Fast]

We closed out our Christmas movies with a New Year's Eve viewing of 1949's Holiday Affair with Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh and Wendell Corey.

Having seen this movie too many times to count, I'll concede its faults upfront: it has too many cliches, a simple (basically) predictable plot and its conflicts are too easily resolved - but isn't that true of most Christmas movies?

Where it shines is in some outstanding scenes that portray real human interactions and feelings that rise above the genre. When Leigh's two suitors, Mitchum and Corey, are forced to make amicable small talk while waiting in Leigh's living room, you can feel their uncomfortableness. Later, when Corey - after pursuing a noncommittal Leigh all movie - tells her that he wants to be able to brag a bit to his wife and wants her to be passionate about him, you see a maturing in him that many of us have gone through in life.

There are more of those moments which - along with the, yes, overall fun vibe and beautiful time travel - make this "simple" holiday movie one of our favorites.